Bank Rhode Island has announced that it collected donations equal to more than 16,000 pounds of food to support the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s 2011 Summer Food Drive. This marks the fourth straight year that BankRI has participated in the drive. The Bank was the leading donor in a non-food related industry for the second year in a row, having increased its giving from 14,000 pounds donated in 2010.

Over the past several months, food and monetary donations were accepted at 17 BankRI branch locations across the state. The Park Avenue branch in Cranston was top in donations with the equivalent of more than 1,600 pounds of food. In addition to the food and donations collected at the branch locations, the Bank also made a monetary contribution equal to 10,000 pounds of food.

“Unemployment in Rhode Island continues to be a problem plaguing many families and individuals, making it nearly impossible for many to put food on the table,” said BankRI Executive Vice President Mark Meiklejohn. “BankRI is committed to helping those in need, and thanks to our wonderful staff and customers who supported this food drive, we will put more than 16,000 pounds of food in the hands of hungry Rhode Islanders.”

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank provides food to people in need and promotes long-term solutions to the problem of hunger. Millions of pounds of donated food and non-food household products are distributed to the community through their network of nearly 250 member agency food programs across Rhode Island.

“Each month, more than 60,000 people rely on our statewide network of emergency food pantries to meet their basic food needs, and one of three people we serve is a child under the age of 18,” said Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff. “These hard facts make it critically important to reach out to our neighbors in need, and we are grateful to the people of BankRI for this significant contribution.”